Unions fund exiled independent David O’Byrne, despite Labor scrambling for every seat in tough Tasmanian election

Left wing unions have donated to the Tasmanian election campaign of independent David O’Byrne, undermining Labor’s attempt to return to power after 10 years in the wilderness.

Left-wing unions have donated to the Tasmanian election campaign of independent David O’Byrne. Picture: Chris Kidd

Left-wing unions have donated to the Tasmanian election campaign of independent David O’Byrne, undermining Labor’s attempt to return to power in the state after 10 years in the wilderness.

Mr O’Byrne, the former Labor leader ostracised in the wake of a sexual harassment complaint, has received union support for his bid to be elected as an independent in the seat of Franklin. His likely success could rob his former party, from which he has resigned, of a valuable seat as it struggles to lift its primary vote ahead of Saturday’s state election.

The former union leader, who retains considerable support among parts of Labor’s left, confirmed to The Australian he had received union financial support.

“I have had some support (from unions) but different to what you might receive as a Labor candidate,” Mr O’Byrne said.

He declined to provide details of which unions were involved and how much had been provided. One union that has strongly supported Mr O’Byrne in the past, the Health and Community Services Union, refused to say whether it had funded his campaign.

“No comment,” said HACSU state secretary Robbie Moore. “I think David’s done a good job. But we’ve just been running the ­agenda of our members.”

HACSU – previously the dominant player in Tasmanian Labor’s dominant left faction – disaffiliated from the party in the wake of a deep split. Mr Moore confirmed he remained a member of the ALP, whose rules prohibit support for non-Labor candidates.

Mr O’Byrne’s former union, the United Workers Union, said it had not provided any support to his campaign. “No – that would be completely against the rules,” said senior official Amy Brumby.

Labor leader Rebecca White declined to comment on union support for Mr O’Byrne’s campaign. “It’s up to them how they spend their money – or their members’ money,” she said. “We have been working very closely with our affiliates, announcing policies that we’ve worked with them on, particularly when it comes to our health workforce. “I’m very confident that across the broad Labor movement … that they want to see a change of ­government.”

Mr O’Byrne is regarded as having a good chance of being elected in Franklin and could be one of a small cohort of crossbenchers upon whom a minority government may need to rely.

He said he would work in a “mature and co-operative (way) … across the parliament”.

While not ruling out a return to the Labor Party if circumstances changed post-election, he said he would need to continue to vote as an independent for the next term.

“If I’m elected as an independent, the contract I have with the people of Franklin is to act as an ­independent,” he said. Mr O’Byrne was banished to the crossbench in July 2021 after resigning as leader in the wake of the harassment claims dating to his time as a union leader in 2007-08.

He apologised for kissing and sending “sexually suggestive” text messages to a young, female probationary staff member.

A Labor-commissioned report found his conduct was “inappropriate” and “wrong” but did not breach party sexual harassment policy.

Ms White declined to comment on how well or otherwise she could work with Mr O’Byrne, who ­briefly deposed her as leader in June 2021, only to make way for her again when he resigned weeks later. “I’m not talking about other candidates … I’m focused on our candidates,” she said.

On Sunday, Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff promised, if re-elected, to legislate to force MPs who quit their party midterm to leave parliament.

Mr Rockliff said it was about providing “stability”, but opponents dismissed it as a “stunt” of dubious constitution­ality, unlikely to pass parliament.